The City of Durham sought a no-contact order to stop Amanda Wallace, founder of Operation Stop CPS, from protesting family separation. Movement for Family Power, the Center for Constitutional Rights, and the ACLU of North Carolina today filed an appeal on behalf of Amanda Wallace, a Durham activist protesting family separation who was silenced with a no-contact order issued under the North Carolina Workplace Violence Prevention Act (WVPA). The appeal argues that the no-contact order violates the First Amendment in two ways. First, by restricting Ms. Wallace’s freedom of movement and speech in response to protected criticism of a public official. And second, by imposing unconstitutional restrictions on her political advocacy, including restrictions on the words she can use. It also argues that the WVPA cannot be leveraged to punish non-violent protest. The WVPA was originally passed in 2004 to protect survivors of intimate partner violence from harassment at work. But instead of its intended purpose, it is now being used to suppress speech that is protected by the First Amendment. Durham County’s attempt to silence Ms. Wallace is not an isolated incident. In 2025, amid protests by Amazon workers and labor activists, North Carolina passed a law expanding the WVPA to allow employers to seek restraining orders against “mass picketing.” Ms. Wallace leads Operation Stop CPS, a grassroots campaign that educates the community about the harms of the “child welfare system,” which many activists refer to as the “family policing system.” This advocacy is informed by ten years Ms. Wallace spent working as a child welfare investigator in North Carolina. Since June 2022, she has engaged in regular public protests against the Durham County Department of Social Services’ (DSS) disproportionate targeting and separation of Black and low-income families. Nationally, one in ten Black children is removed from their parents by this system. Black children are similarly overrepresented in North Carolina’s foster system–and in Durham, where Ms. Wallace organizes, every single parent whose parental rights were permanently terminated in 2021-22 was Black, except one. In response to Ms. Wallace’s protests, Durham County petitioned for a civil no-contact order on behalf of DSS Director Maggie Clapp under the WVPA, alleging that Ms. Wallace’s behavior constituted harassment. At the hearing on the petition, over 50 activists from across the nation packed the courthouse in support of Ms. Wallace, but the district court judge issued the order despite their concerns. The appeal asks the North Carolina Court of Appeals to vacate the no-contact order, affirm that Ms. Wallace's advocacy is protected by the First Amendment, and affirm that the WVPA cannot be used to suppress protected political speech. “The mission of Operation Stop CPS is to abolish the family policing system because it is working exactly as it was designed,” said Amanda Wallace, who is seeking to appeal her no-contact order. “When you challenge powerful institutions, those institutions often try to silence you—so Durham’s tactics are not a surprise. I won’t stop speaking out, because the families harmed by this system can’t afford for people to be silent. No matter how many legal obstacles are put in front of me, I’ll continue exposing the harms of family policing and advocating for its abolition.” “North Carolina’s unlawful silencing of Amanda Wallace is part of a broader effort to chill speech that exposes the violence and scale of forced family separation in the United States. As ICE and the police separate families in plain view, community organizers like Amanda are exposing how the family policing (‘child welfare’) system quietly does the same thing to families every day across the county—most especially to Black families,” said Miriam Mack, Campaigns & Advocacy Director and Senior Legal Counsel at Movement for Family Power. “The state’s targeting of Black families is not an unfortunate outcome of the system, it is by design.” “At its core, this case is about whether public officials can weaponize a statute intended to protect survivors of intimate partner violence at their workplace against their constituents, in order to silence speech they find uncomfortable and suppress a movement they dislike,” said Adina Marx-Arpadi, attorney for the Center for Constitutional Rights. “They cannot.” “The freedom to criticize the government and public officials is central to the First Amendment,” said Jacqueline Landry, legal fellow for the ACLU of North Carolina. “If we allow state agents to use no-contact orders to stifle political dissent, we silence the free exchange of ideas that underlies our system of democratic governance.” The legal brief in support of Ms. Wallace’s appeal can be found here. This article was first published by the ACLU of North Carolina.

On August 15, around 20 people gathered at Worthdale Park in Southeast Raleigh for "WakeMed & Atrium Health: A Marriage, Not a Takeover", a mock wedding ceremony organized by the Triangle DSA to criticize the proposed merger of the two hospital systems. Under the terms of a deal that has not been publicly released, Atrium says it would create more than 3,000 jobs over a five-year period and invest $2 billion into WakeMed facilities. In exchange, Atrium would gain control of WakeMed’s board through direct appointment of six board members, indirect veto power over the other eight seats, and power to remove board members for certain causes [1]. As attendees trickled into the picnic shelter around noon, organizers from the Socialists-in-Office committee put finishing touches on their scripts. The groom, bride, and officiant roles had been cast in advance, while others were left open for volunteers to step in. "Here Comes the Bride" played to kick off the skit, which lasted a few minutes. The officiant’s lines criticized the speed of the merger and the lack of public input. In his vows, the groom declared, “I, Atrium Health, take you, WakeMed, to be my strategically acquired partner. As we keep telling the press, this is a marriage, not a sale.” Atrium made its $2 billion offer in May 2026. That same month, UNC Health sent WakeMed an unsolicited proposal of $5 billion, which WakeMed declined in favor of Atrium’s offer. That decision prompted many to ask, as The Assembly did in a recent article, “why would WakeMed say no to $3 billion?” [2] Next came the bride’s vows. “I promise,” she said, “to abandon my historically strong connection to the local community. Especially for historically Black neighborhoods like Southeast Raleigh that heavily rely on my flagship hospital.” When the officiant asked if anyone objected to the union, three members of the audience jumped up. They argued that the merger could weaken oversight from the Wake County Commission and lead to patients being charged more money for lower-quality care. State Treasurer Brad Briner has also raised concerns that Atrium could be tempted to raise prices to market levels. WakeMed’s rates currently run 10% to 30% lower than UNC’s and Duke’s [3]. After the skit, attendees ate pizza and wedding cake in the 90-degree heat, swatting away mosquitos. Elected officials or candidates for office (zero) were outnumbered by kids (two) brought along by their parents. After people had a chance to socialize, an organizer gave a speech with more details about the merger. “I would say not just is Atrium getting the board seats of WakeMed, but Atrium is being named the ‘sole member’ of WakeMed,” they said. “Legally, that means the owners. The members of a nonprofit are the owners of a nonprofit. Regardless of what happens with the board, Atrium is being named the sole owner of WakeMed. There will be multiple layers of transfer of control. Where WakeMed is currently controlled by the county, it will now be controlled by Atrium in so many ways where it will be impossible for the county to exercise any influence over WakeMed if this goes through. They’re putting $2 billion into the community, but they’re just spending it on their own facilities at this point. It doesn’t mean that much.” Triangle DSA used Saturday's event to build turnout for a public hearing on the merger at the Wake County Commission on Monday, August 17. Organizers said that WakeMed and Atrium employees could face pressure to speak favorably about the deal, or not speak at all, making it important for community members and critical voices to attend the hearing. At a July 27 town hall about the merger, an attendee said that WakeMed CEO Donald Gintzig "does not care" about its negative impact. Gintzig responded, "That's not very respectful, I hope you don't work at WakeMed" [4]. Gintzig earned $1.9 million in 2024. Atrium CEO Gene Woods made $25.8 million in the same year [5]. The United States is the only wealthy country in the world that does not guarantee healthcare as a basic right. Americans carry $220 billion in medical debt. Life expectancy in North Carolina is 76 to 77 years, a year or two lower than Cuba, which is sanctioned and besieged by the United States. Life expectancy for Black residents of North Carolina is 73 to 74 years, compared to 78 years in Iran, which is being bombed and blockaded by the United States. Work Cited Wilkinson, Nolan. "What People Said at Wake County's Hearing on WakeMed-Atrium Health Merger." The News & Observer, 18 Aug. 2026, www.newsobserver.com/news/business/article316910911.html. Still, Johanna F. "Why Would WakeMed Say No to $3 Billion?" The Assembly, 11 Aug. 2026, www.theassemblync.com/news/health/wakemed-unc-health-atrium-offer/. BusinessNC. "Atrium, WakeMed Make Their Merger Case to Wake Leaders." Business North Carolina, 8 June 2026, businessnc.com/atrium-wakemed-make-their-merger-case-to-wake-leaders/. "Residents Fired Up at Town Hall on Proposed WakeMed-Atrium Health Merger." CBS17, WNCN, 27 July 2026, www.cbs17.com/news/local-news/wake-county-news/residents-fired-up-at-town-hall-on-proposed-wakemed-atrium-health-merger/. Mildenberg, David. "Why WakeMed Only Had Eyes for Atrium." Business North Carolina, May 18, 2026, https://businessnc.com/why-wakemed-only-had-eyes-for-atrium/.

A new report from the Institute for Southern Studies, publisher of Facing South, finds that the economic growth in Durham, North Carolina over the last decade has not reached all of the workers who power the city and its largest employer, Duke University. In fact, the report finds that the gap between Black and white workers has grown wider during Durham’s decade of growth. The report, Working in Durham, documents how the last 10 years have seen an influx of wealth to Durham County due to a sweeping regional tech and biotechnology expansion and the massive footprint of leading employers including Duke University and Duke Health. Yet the benefits of these expansions and new profits have failed to reach Durham’s workers. The report finds that households earning $200,000 or more went from 2.7% of Durham County taxpayers holding about one-fifth of reported income in 2010, to 8.5% of filers holding 40% of reported income by 2022. In other words, Durham's economy is growing, but more income is flowing to the top. “Working and living in Durham is a paycheck-to-paycheck struggle. I love my city but working here and living here is not adding up,” said Ieisha Francis, a Certified Nursing Assistant at an assisted living facility in Durham, N.C. who is profiled in the report. “There’s constant building up in this city, but there’s nothing being built that I can afford. I can tell the people investing in Durham are not invested in our community.” The report also finds: Median household income in Durham County has climbed from roughly $52,000 in 2014 to $79,500 in 2023. Between 2014 and 2023, the median gross rent in Durham County climbed from $877 to $1,415. This represents a real-dollar increase of 25%. In 2014, Black workers in Durham earned 72.5 cents for every dollar earned by white workers. By 2023, that figure had fallen to 62.2 cents. The median hourly wage among Black workers in Durham went essentially nowhere, from $20.97 in 2014 to $20.59 in 2023. The share of Black workers holding low-wage jobs climbed from 31.7% in 2014 to 39.3% in 2023. The median hourly wage among Latino workers in Durham went from $14.87 in 2014 to just $18.26 in 2023. Only about half of employed Latino workers in Durham have health insurance. Duke is a driver of Durham’s divide According to the report, roughly one in five low-wage Black workers in Durham were employed in health care and social assistance, a finding that is consistent in both 2014 and 2023. Duke Health remains the major player in Durham’s health care industry. It plays an outsized role in shaping wages and benefits for the Black workers in Durham who work in the hospital as nurses, receptionists, housekeepers, food service workers, and more. Although Durham’s economy grew significantly, the share of Black households enrolled in public assistance programs like SNAP and Medicaid stayed largely the same between 2014 and 2023. This finding shows that Durham’s economic boom has not lifted Black workers up, but maintained a status quo of low-wage, low-benefit work. “We deserve more than we’re getting,” said Nah’Shon Blount, a housekeeper at Duke. “Even with a $20 minimum wage now, it’s still not enough. We need so much more to be able to keep living in Durham.” Durham’s anchor employers can close the gap Duke and other anchor employers are more than passive beneficiaries of Durham’s recent economic growth. As a major employer of low-wage workers, Duke University and Duke Health play a key role in shaping median wages, household incomes and access to benefits in Durham. “Closing the gap will require Durham’s largest employers to change how they value workers,” the report’s authors write. “Duke University and the private companies driving Durham’s growth must treat job quality for Black and Latino workers as a central responsibility.” Visit here for the full Working in Durham report. This article was first published by Facing South.

The North Carolina Environmental Justice Network and CleanAIRE NC, in collaboration with the Cooper Participatory Sciences Lab at NC State University and the Community Science and Innovation for Environmental Justice Lab at Johns Hopkins University, announce the official launch of E-I-E-I-O No, an innovative community science initiative designed to map the hidden footprint of industrial agriculture across North Carolina. The project leverages open-source aerial imagery and grassroots collective action to provide greater transparency on Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs), also called Factory Farms, and their impact on human health, and air and water quality. CAFOs are industrial-scale, high-density livestock facilities that confine thousands of swine or poultry into small indoor spaces. Each CAFO generates over hundreds of thousands tons of animal waste annually, contaminating local air and water with urine, feces, and harmful pollutants such as ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, and particulate matter. North Carolina is a major hotspot for the CAFO industry, with thousands operating across the state. Yet a lack of public data, particularly on poultry, has left communities in the dark, with limited tools to verify where these facilities operate or track their growth. E-I-E-I-O No addresses this problem by inviting anyone to participate as community scientists scanning images from eastern North Carolina to document facility locations and identify the types of animals being reared. The project aims to produce a transparent, crowdsourced map of CAFOs and their proximity to local communities. “E-I-E-I-O No takes a community-inclusive approach not always considered in data collecting and research projects,” said Z Strawderman, AirKeeper Dashboard & GIS Manager for CleanAIRE NC. “It will produce a dataset that is verified and shared back to the communities who are directly impacted by the practices of the industry.” “In North Carolina, the public legally has the right to know where polluting industries are located,” said Dr. Chris Lamont Brown, NCEJN’s Co-Director for Research and Education. “However, in the case of poultry CAFOs specifically, this right has been stripped away. E-I-E-I-O No leverages scientific practices to fight for our right to information that keeps us safe.” CAFOs are disproportionately located near low-income communities and communities of color, constituting a severe environmental justice issue. The airborne emissions and water runoff from these high-density operations could be linked to elevated rates of asthma, respiratory illness, and decreased quality of life for neighboring residents. E-I-E-I-O No is designed to be user friendly, so that anyone can participate. Volunteers do not need a background in environmental science or geographic mapping. The platform guides users through simple visual cues to identify the distinct infrastructure of industrial facilities such as waste lagoons. By dividing the massive task of analyzing aerial imagery across eastern North Carolina into bite-sized, manageable chunks, the project demonstrates how collective civic action and community science can rapidly scale up data transparency and public oversight. The data gathered by the public will be made available through CleanAIRE NC’s AirKeeper Dashboard. This will enable communities, researchers, and policymakers to assess cumulative public health impacts, guide sustainable zoning decisions, and advocate for stronger air and water protections. Aerial ortho imagery for this project was accessed from NC One Map, which hosts open-source imagery of all of North Carolina’s counties. E-I-E-I-O No is hosted by Zooniverse, the world’s largest platform for people-powered research. To learn more about the initiative or to sign up as a volunteer community scientist, visit www.zooniverse.org/projects/blerdapprentice/e-i-e-i-o-no. This article was first published by NCEJN.

Image credit: CAUSE We solemnly announce that one of our leaders has commenced a 40-day fast, refusing food entirely, in honor of every Amazon worker who has died while in the service of this company. This hunger strike is the personal decision of that leader, undertaken according to his own conscience. CAUSE was informed on Day 12 of the fast. Nevertheless, we stand united behind the demands it seeks to advance. This hunger strike calls upon Amazon to take the following actions: First Demand: Immediately end any policy that discourages or delays workers from calling 911 during a medical emergency. Second Demand: Hold open town halls, on company time, at RDU1, RDU5, SNC3, HRD2, and DRT8, where workers may freely ask questions of both management and CAUSE representatives regarding unionization. Third Demand: Immediately enter good-faith negotiations with the Amazon Labor Union (ALU) to reach a collectively-bargained contract. We recognize that a hunger strike is a profound act of personal sacrifice. The leader undertaking this fast does so with full awareness of the physical risks involved, in the hope that it may awaken the conscience of a Nation. We therefore invite workers, labor organizations, elected officials, and all people of goodwill to stand in solidarity with this sacrifice and join us in advocating for these demands. Lastly, the leader has already lost 20 pounds and his physical condition rapidly worsens each day. We humbly ask all communities of faith to pray for the safe conclusion of this hunger strike. May this witness end not in tragedy, but in honor. "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled."— Matthew 5:6 This article was first published by CAUSE.

Durham school staff union DAE marches in Raleigh. Image credit: USSW On Tuesday, the Durham County Board of Education voted to approve the new classified staff salary schedules and raises from the funds that our union members fought so hard to win from DPS and the Durham County Commissioners this spring. We are disappointed that the Board voted 4-3 to rubber-stamp the salary schedules that DPS administration proposed when they had only become available to the public the day before. These salary schedules provide 5% raises for top-paid administrators downtown, who were already making as much as $13,000/month, while only bringing the minimum wage for DPS workers to $18.22/hour. This leaves DPS out of compliance with its own Living Wage Policy (DPS Board Policy 7600), which requires the district's minimum wage to match the Durham County living wage, currently $19.22/hour. We applaud Board members Rivero, Bir, and Bent Kitaif for advocating for more time to get worker and community input on the salary schedules, and to explore all options to ensure that DPS’s lowest-paid staff are getting the highest raise possible with the funds that we won from the county and state. We also applaud our members who fought hard and won between 4% and 12% raises for all classified staff, no matter their years of experience. In the 26-27 school year, a starting custodian will go from making $16.65/hour to $18.22/hour, and a starting bus safety assistant will go from $17.51/hour to $19.61/hour. This is a step towards a living wage for all DPS workers, and we will keep fighting until all DPS workers have dignified pay and working conditions. This article was first published by Durham Association of Educators.

State regulator’s expert calls for data center moratorium after Duke execs’ testimony indicates no other reason for massive buildout of gas-fired and nuclear power plants Watchdog NC WARN, on June 25, called on Gov. Josh Stein to lead efforts to ban a state-sanctioned monopoly from aggressively recruiting hotly contested data centers – and to publicly demand a statewide moratorium on new data centers as called for by an expert with the NC Utilities Commission’s Public Staff in a June 2026 regulatory hearing over long-term planning. We also are urging the Governor to use this opportunity to immediately and publicly call for a halt to Duke Energy’s nation-leading expansion of fracked gas and failure-prone nuclear power plants, and a halt to Duke’s years-long suppression of cheaper solar power matched with battery storage. It’s now clear that data center hype is the sole justification for the climate-wrecking scheme to expand gas and nuclear, which would cause continuous electric rate hikes for years to come. Also, it’s confirmed that Duke has aggressively recruited new data centers – using millions of public dollars annually – to justify building new power plants. We agree with an expert witness for the Utilities Commission’s Public Staff who stated that Duke is acting in the interest of shareholders over ratepayers by overzealously signing new large, power-hungry customers such as data centers. In an open letter, NC WARN told Stein that Duke Energy has violated its outdated privilege to operate as a monopoly, and its very permission to operate in North Carolina. This corporate scandal has been completely exposed. The only question is: Who in authority will act upon Duke Energy’s anti-public behavior? Duke has claimed that forecasts of wildly growing electricity usage in the Carolinas require dozens of new power plants – far more than any other US corporation. Testimony and evidence now proves that growth would be from the power-hogging data centers Duke (and state) officials are luring to NC communities. Duke conceded that electricity usage has fallen for many years despite huge population growth, and that it has consistently exaggerated future projections for years. A Duke official conceded under oath that solar-plus-storage (SPS) has multiple benefits. The Public Staff said Duke underestimates the potential for battery storage. NC WARN’s expert witness proved that there is enough local SPS potential on roofs, parking areas and unused land to replace existing coal- and gas-fired power plants. SPS would be far cheaper and quicker to build than new gas-fired or nuclear power plants to handle any future growth in electricity demand. NC WARN has told Governor Stein that most of the data center developers wouldn’t even be targeting North Carolina communities if not for recruiting by Duke Energy and lucrative financial giveaways by the state. Data centers create only a handful of local jobs after construction is complete. We appreciate Stein’s recent call to end a sales tax exemption for electricity usage by data centers by year-end. But now he must go much further by challenging Duke’s years-long abuse of its long outdated monopoly privilege, which it exploits by constantly raising rates to build more and more unneeded power plants. We’re calling for the Governor’s immediate personal action because the NC Utilities Commission won’t rule in the case for at least six months, and because the Commission has traditionally been heavily biased in favor of Duke Energy. Written testimony by NC WARN’s expert witness, engineer Bill Powers – which Duke chose not to contest during the hearing – proves that the massive potential for local SPS in North Carolina could make it the fastest, cheapest, most equitable tool to move the state off its course toward climate and social chaos. Duke Energy’s scandal is an abuse against the people of North Carolina who are already struggling with soaring power bills, repeated devastation by storms and assaults on their communities by data center developers. It is outrageous that a state-sanctioned monopoly should be allowed to drive even higher profits by gouging the public with constant rate hikes year after year. State residents across the political spectrum resent monopolies, and Duke Energy exemplifies why that attitude exists. Politicians who act in the public interest will be hailed for doing so. This article was first published by NC WARN.

Image credit: Walltown Community Association Between December 2018 and June 2024, Durham missed its chance to shape the redevelopment of Northgate Mall. A window of opportunity opened when Northwood Investors bought the 60-acre site, stayed open while the mall sat empty for years, and closed when Senate Bill 382 took retroactive effect. The city needed to do two things: write a Small Area Plan for the Northgate site, then rezone the area to implement the plan. Only the first step was completed, and not until August 2025. A rezoning could have regulated uses, included density bonuses tied to affordable housing, required a green-space connection to Walltown Park along Guess Road, and disincentivized a big-box store ringed by hundreds of parking spaces, among other tools. The Walltown Community Association worked for years to push the city into action. The group engaged hundreds of residents, formed a seven-neighborhood coalition called the Northgate Mall Neighborhood Council in 2020, and held press conferences to press its demands. In April 2021, the WCA published a report called Building a Place for All People: A Community-Centered Vision for the New Northgate Mall which laid out six design goals and three sample maps based on community engagement [1]. In May 2021, the WCA and NMNC sent a letter to the council asking them to "explore rezoning the property so that the developer has to comply with achieving both high density and public goods" [2]. When Northwood proposed a life sciences campus in August 2022, the WCA responded with an alternative plan in February 2023 [3]. Durham’s city council leaned pro-developer throughout the window of opportunity. The clearest evidence comes from 2024, when Bull City Public Investigators counted every vote on annexations and rezonings and found that the council approved almost all developer requests, often by a 4 to 3 margin [4]. No similar count exists for 2018–2023, but news coverage and council minutes from those years frequently show the council saying yes to developer proposals even when the Planning Commission was saying no [5 - 2019], [6 - 2020], [7 - 2021], [8 - 2022], [9 - 2023]. In November 2025, developer Regency Centers announced its plan for the Northgate site. It is aiming for a project called Ellerbe Square with a Target store, five smaller shops, and more than 700 parking spaces. Because the plan fits current zoning rules, Regency’s doesn’t need council approval to build it. The pro-developer majority on Durham’s city council has been durable, persisting over the years despite shifting council membership, and splits into two tendencies. One camp, made up of business-oriented figures like current mayor Leonardo Williams and former member Mark-Anthony Middleton, often seems to see little different between developer interests and the public interest. The other camp, including current members Javiera Caballero and Carl Rist and former member Jillian Johnson, argues the city can't do much to influence developers without scaring off investment, breaking the law, or pushing landowners toward worse projects that don't need a rezoning. In August 2022, Northwood Investors floated the idea of a life sciences campus for the Northgate site, which would have needed a rezoning. The WCA and NMNC encouraged the council to use any public hearing process extract community benefits, such as proffers of affordable housing that are difficult to secure otherwise. However, Northwood never pursued the rezoning request. Jillian Johnson, who sat on the Durham city council member from 2015 to 2023, addressed the calls for rezoning in a September 2022 interview with Indyweek. “You can have a city-initiated rezoning”, she said, “but once a property is in the process of being developed, that becomes legally complex and is not generally a good idea … for us to try to use the rezoning authorities - there would be a lawsuit and we would lose.” [10] In 2025, Middleton said there was "nothing" residents could do if developers ignored the Small Area Plan's advice. He told residents to focus their efforts on city-owned land, not on using zoning power over private land. Middleton said, “If you believe [the government] can tell other people what to do with their money and their land, then what do you think we can do with our own money, with our own land as a government?” [11] The fear that a rezoning would lead to a successful lawsuit doesn’t appear well-founded, at least prior to SB 382. The relevant legal framework, called ‘vested rights’, only protects a developer that has spent a significant amount on the project (aside from purchase price), gotten a site plan approved, gotten building permits, filed formal applications, or started construction. Between 2018 and 2024, Northwood Investors never got far enough along to gain any of these protections [12]. A rezoning coming on the heels of an established Small Area Plan would have put the city on even firmer legal footing. Courts looked more favorably on rezonings emerging from an open planning process, since it shows the city acted deliberately and for clear public reasons, rather than rushing to single out one developer. Nate Baker, a Durham city council member, said in September 2022 when he still sat on the Planning Commission, “They could have done a small area planning process on that site and then used the power of zoning to implement that.” He continued, “We can regulate uses: what is or is not allowed on the site, the arrangement of what’s on the site, the infrastructure. Creating new city blocks that weave into the existing fabric of surrounding neighborhoods on that site, for example. [The council] had plenty of time that the neighborhood was asking for help, long before this subdivision was submitted.” [10] Northwood held presubmittal meetings, a required step with the Planning Department before a rezoning request can be submitted, in August 2022 and May 2024. In the May 2024 meeting, the developer proposed rezoning the Northgate site to Commercial General with a development plan, allowing research and lab uses alongside offices, shops, homes, and park space. Northwood never pursued this option, but when Regency Centers bought the site and revealed its Ellerbe Square plan in November 2025, it used a similar layout to the May 2024 proposal. In December 2024, local governments in North Carolina lost control over many basic planning powers when the state passed SB 382. According to the News and Observer, the law “restricts municipalities from initiating downzonings, like reducing the density or number of uses of a property, without getting written permission from all affected owners” [13]. SB 382 went into effect for actions dating back to June 2024, closing the window of opportunity to rezone Northgate Mall. Works Cited Walltown Community Association. Building a Place for All People: A Community-Centered Vision for the New Northgate Mall. Apr. 2021, https://static1.squarespace.com/static/60172f212e514a5b86eda855/t/608401f56a87341dd3dacf40/1619264025196/Northgate+Mall+Redevelopment+Survey+Report+%284.24.2021%29.pdf Action Network. "Stand with Walltown on Northgate Mall Redevelopment." Petition, Walltown Community Association, 10 May 2021, actionnetwork.org/petitions/stand-with-walltown-on-northgate-mall-redevelopment. Walltown Community Association. Walltown’s Alternative Deesign for Northgate Mall. Feb. 2023, drive.google.com/file/d/1pI_5IuroUek4_UYH6ghg4sMzB5UESmQH/view. Constantine, Lucia. "How Durham City Council Voted on Development in 2024." BCPI: Open Sources, Bull City Public Investigators, 17 Dec. 2024, bcpi.substack.com/p/how-durham-city-council-voted-on. City of Durham, North Carolina. "Regular Meeting Minutes, December 16, 2019." Durham City Council, 16 Dec. 2019, www.durhamnc.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_12162019-1412. City of Durham, North Carolina. "Regular Meeting Minutes, June 24, 2020." Durham City Council, 24 June 2020, www.durhamnc.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_06242020-1495. "Council Approves Multiple Developments Despite Objections." Spectrum News 1, 3 Sept. 2021, spectrumlocalnews.com/nc/triangle-sandhills/politics/2021/09/03/durham-city-council-annexations. "Hundreds of New Townhomes Headed to Eastern Durham after Tense 4-3 City Council Votes." AOL, 8 Sept. 2022, www.aol.com/hundreds-townhomes-headed-eastern-durham-205753448.html. City of Durham, North Carolina. "Regular Meeting Minutes, April 3, 2023." Durham City Council, 3 Apr. 2023, www.durhamnc.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_04032023-2408. Geller, Lena. "Northgate Mall’s New Owner’s Plan Doesn’t Include Housing, But Durham’s Council Still Has Leverage Over Its Future." INDY Week, 7 Sept. 2022, indyweek.com/news/northgate-mall-durham-rezoning-walltown-plans/. Johnson, Kristen. "Durham Adopts Neighbor-Driven Road Map for Northgate Mall Redevelopment." The News & Observer, updated 21 Aug. 2025, www.newsobserver.com/news/local/counties/durham-county/article311760620.html. Lovelady, Adam. "Vested Rights." Property Owner Protection and Rights, LRC Study Committee, UNC School of Government, 3 Mar. 2014, webservices.ncleg.gov/ViewDocSiteFile/33865. Gordon, Brian. "The NC Zoning Law No One Saw Coming (Including Many Who Voted for It)."The News & Observer, updated 20 Feb. 2026,www.newsobserver.com/news/business/article314745867.html

Earlier this year, residents of Baity Hill, the only on-campus living facility available to graduate students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, were told by administrators at the University that the facility would be closed to graduate students beginning in the Fall of 2028. Residents of Baity Hill, many of whom chose to attend UNC over other alternatives because of the availability of on-campus living facilities, will be forced to search for new homes in an increasingly unaffordable rental market. This disruption, which amounts to a bait-and-switch from the University, will destroy this neighborly community, negatively impact the quality of life of current residents, and further strain an already economically precarious population. Wife, mother, and long time resident of Baity Hill Julia Edwards weighs in on the University’s decision: “There are many graduate student and married students who attend this university. We are a demographic that should not be ignored or ‘put away’. Living on campus, close to the graduate schools, has given my children more time with their father.” Julia makes it clear that she and her family want to stay at Baity Hill and asks the University: “Don’t kick us out till new housing is provided”. The location, affordability and amenities provided by Baity Hill has enabled a strong community of graduate students and parents to blossom. Friend of Julia and fellow parent Clayton Ulm agrees: “We have a community there of parents where we are able to baby sit and provide support to other parents that is unique to Baity Hill. We won’t have access to that network anymore”. Clayton, Julia and the many current residents share a deep frustration following the University’s choice to remove all graduate students in Fall 2028 and make Baity Hill exclusive to undergraduate students. The reasoning behind the change is attributed to the increase in undergraduate admissions in the coming academic year, as well as the unsafe living conditions of current undergraduate housing options. During the June 15th Housing Summit, Allan Blattner, Executive Director of Housing at UNC, offered graduate students two solutions to the two-year gap in graduate housing: Wait the projected four to five years (2030 or 2031) until new but off-campus housing built by an outside developer is complete in the Carolina North development. Go to the Off-Campus Housing Office for support. Patrick and Devin of the Off-Campus Housing Office are the only two staff members responsible for supporting all of UNC’s undergraduate and graduate students in search of off-campus housing options. Unfortunately for the high, and increasing, student need for off-campus housing the 'resources' on offer primarily consist of Apartments.com referrals [1]. The availability of affordable housing especially is not an infinite resource in the Chapel Hill and Carrboro area. As it currently stands, even Baity Hill, which is widely considered the “affordable” option, eats up 85% (18k) of an average graduate student’s embarrassingly low 21.6k per year stipend. A graduate student, who prefers to remain anonymous, visited the UNC financial office for advice. Upon consultation, they were recommended to apply for FASFA or a high-interest loan (GRAD Plus). Reflecting on this disheartening experience, they said: “Each office at UNC, seemingly devoted to supporting students, shuttles us from office to office, providing no clear answers, because everything is always out of their hands. This endless chain of bureaucratic passivity stems from the university’s increasingly parasitic financial model [...] UNC’s model drives down the quality of the education making us question whether any of this is worth it.” The University knows the graduate minimum stipend is not adjusted to the current cost of living and yet, instead of raising pay, they choose to refer students in financial need towards high-interest loans. Despite UNC’s stated mission to serve the growing needs of North Carolina by providing “access to learning” and an “unwavering commitment to excellence”, UNC’s decision-making actively works against the needs of current undergraduate or graduate students [2]. The Baity Hill closure is a clear example of this disregard, especially for graduate and professional students. By cutting off Baity Hill from graduate students, and providing no on-campus alternative, UNC is offloading the need for housing on the town of Chapel Hill and Carrboro. This pressure further intensifies an already precarious housing market for students, and the wider local population. In the face of stacked odds however, the residents and tenant organizers of Baity Hill have not lost hope. There is a petition in support of reversing the decision, and pushing the University to consider alternative options. Rather than forcing graduate students out of the only on-campus housing available, perhaps the University should consider what these students are able to provide for the Carolina community. Many graduate students are not only students, but researchers and instructors who actively contribute to UNC’s success and national acclaim. It would behoove decision-makers at UNC to remember that the graduate students they 'serve' deserve better. Looking to help in the effort to reverse the Baity Hill decision? Sign our petition and email your thoughts to the Executive Director for Carolina Housing Allan Blattner: allan_blattner@unc.edu. Work Cited https://offcampushousing.unc.edu/ https://www.unc.edu/about/mission/

This interview was published on May 22, 2026. The union was on strike during the May 22 to 24 weekend, and urged a boycott from May 15 to 25. Image credit: Artivista Karlin Si-Hua: Hi, my name is Si-Hua. I'm a worker at the Durham REI. We are on strike this weekend. We are asking folks not to shop at REI, to boycott through the end of their sale. We're striking because REI has, for three years, not given us a fair contract as a union store. We're asking the company to bargain in good faith with us and to give us a fair contract. DWA: What are some of the things you're hoping to get in a fair contract? Si-Hua: Consistent hours, benefits, scheduling, and safety standards. We'd also like for the contract to have an arbitration clause so that the contract can actually be enforced. We'd also like for disciplinary actions to have a just cause provision to make sure that anyone who gets disciplined gets it for fair reasons and proportionate to the infraction they have committed. DWA: Some of the customers said ‘why don't you just sue REI?’ Instead you guys are bargaining and decided to file ULPs and go on strike. What's the difference? Si-Hua: We have had several unfair labor practice lawsuits. We filed them against REI, but that process with the National Labor Relations Board takes a long time. We also have this resource of ourselves as workers, our worker power, withholding our labor, and we think that's also a very powerful method of sending a message to the company and to the general public. DWA: How long has this boycott been going on, and how long do you want people to sustain the boycott? Si-Hua: We've been advocating for a boycott for the last 8 days throughout REI's biggest sale of the year. We're asking folks to continue the boycott through the end of their sale, which ends on Monday the 25th. For my part, it's been three years since we've been asking for a fair contract. We're not asking to make millions, we just want a fair day’s pay and to be respected in our jobs. When we're paid better, when we're treated better, we can also serve our customers and members better. So everybody wins. This interview was first published by REI Union Durham.

On Monday, June 8, Duke officially announced the details of our new Student Medical Insurance Plan (SMIP). There are a number of concrete wins! Several demands made in the continuity of care petition have been met, including expanded network access, vision care, and elective abortion coverage. However, we have remaining concerns that the administration has not yet addressed. Duke has met some, but not all, of our demands. Our wins so far include (1) restored elective abortion coverage, (2) restored vision coverage, along with the $100 reimbursement for glasses or contacts, (3) sustained mental healthcare copay of $10, and (4) expanded coverage network, which incorporates the Triad Health Network to our highest coverage tier. And, finally, DGSU has secured a meeting with Duke administration to address outstanding concerns. While we’ve secured these critical wins, our work is not done. According to the SMIP (1) the annual limit on physical therapy visits has been reduced from 50 to 30, (2) continuity of care with current providers is not guaranteed, and (3) new annual visit limits have been introduced for preventive and specialty care – including physical exams, OB-GYN visits, and substance abuse counseling. Visit this link to take action in pressuring Duke to meet our remaining demands. This article was first published by Duke Graduate Student Union.

Dr. Susan Crate, Dale Evarts, Keval Kaur Khalsa, Gary Phillips, Amanda Robertson, Jim Warren conducted peaceful civil disobedience by blocking the main entry to the Governor’s Mansion in Raleigh on May 6 for 4 hours. State Capitol Police chose not to arrest them. Despite global heating and human suffering both accelerating toward a point of no return, one of the world’s worst climate polluters is massively expanding the use of fossil fuels while suppressing a transition to clean power. On May 6, prominent climate experts, storm survivors and elected officials demanded that Gov. Stein stop what they call Duke Energy’s “crimes against humanity” instead of acting as the corporation’s accomplice. The community leaders say they feel morally compelled to peacefully risk being arrested in order to challenge the greater crimes committed by decision-makers at the Charlotte-based polluter. They say the state’s top elected official must finally begin telling North Carolinians the truth about Duke Energy’s role in driving the global climate crisis – and use his powerful voice and authority to change the polluter’s climate- and rate-wrecking expansion. Jim Warren, executive director of NC WARN, said, “Duke Energy executives are committing crimes against humanity, and Gov. Stein needs to finally stop them. He is complicit in their crimes by echoing Duke’s 50-year pattern of corporate deception by claiming this state is a clean energy leader and supporting Duke’s totally meaningless goal of being “carbon neutral” by 2050 while ignoring its planned 12,000 megawatt fossil fuel expansion.” Despite the science showing worldwide temperatures surging past limits deemed crucial by climate scientists, Duke Energy plans the largest US buildout of power generation from both fracked gas and experimental nuclear plants while blunting the growth of clean, affordable solar and wind power. The protesters cite their moral duty to act in support of communities, workers, farmers and others being hurt first and worst by weather extremes and soaring power bills. Those people are now facing another potentially horrific storm and heatwave season – on top of record-breaking drought and an ongoing increase in wildfires. Over 60 scientists have openly pressed Stein to help stop Duke’s climate-wrecking trajectory. But the Governor has so far ignored their warning that, “It’s really an emergency … to use all the levers we can to push Duke Energy away from this fossil fuel path,” as emphasized by globally prominent Duke University climatologist Drew Shindell in recent video ads. Dozens of state and local elected officials have joined the call, as have over 300 businesses and nonprofit organizations. Bobby Jones, a statewide environmental justice leader from Goldsboro, said “The stressors of living in what has become Hurricane Alley haunt us. There is no way for us to escape its climate disasters and harm. As a key cause of the global climate crisis, Duke Energy keeps raising our rates to build dirty and dangerous power plants, thus forcing us to pay for our own demise. We need Governor Stein to stand in the gap on our behalf; stop Duke Energy’s crimes against humanity and against the good people of North Carolina.” Since the 1990s, eastern North Carolina has been devastated by multiple hurricanes, other torrential rains and, increasingly, heat waves and droughts that harm farmers, residents, outdoor workers, forests and wildlife. Recent storms have similarly devastated western and central parts of the state. Despite the recurring disasters, North Carolina seems dominated by a “business as usual” mindset based on unfettered growth. As NC WARN told the Governor recently, “The climate science community continues releasing extremely troubling news about the global failure to avoid accelerated warming as humanity approaches a point of no return – even as a soaring number of people and wildlife are already being devastated.” Warren added, “For decades Duke Energy has owned our state’s governors, legislators and regulators. As global heating grows increasingly desperate, Governor Stein must break free and act on behalf of North Carolinians – particularly those already suffering – as scientists demand sweeping changes by 2030.” As the 61 scientists told Stein last year: “We implore you to lead in the transition away from fossil fuels and to the renewable, resilient, equitable, affordable, and sustainable energy future that humanity desperately needs.” STATEMENTS Dr. Susan Crate, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology, Dept of Environmental Science & Policy, George Mason University “I am here today because of the urgency of us doing everything we can to reverse climate change. … We are calling on Governor Stein to stop being Duke Energy’s accomplice and to call them out and demand what all North Carolinians deserve! Rapid development of renewables and the phasing out of dirty fuels!” Gary Phillips, businessman, pastor and the former Chair of the Chatham County Board of Commissioners “I’m taking the extraordinary step today of facing arrest if necessary because my faith demands that I not allow a wrong to go unanswered. Duke Energy’s actions in North Carolina, its continual assault against nature and the people of North Carolina, its perfidious pursuit after power and profit, have called us here as witnesses to form a stumbling block against their continual actions against our lands, our people and our natural progress.” Dale Evarts, former head of the Climate and International Group at the US Environmental Protection Agency “Our climate is no longer stable. … It is beyond anything we’ve seen in our lifetimes. Each year new records are set for temperatures and the costs of climate-related damage. Other countries I’ve worked with don’t doubt climate science. They know that fossil fuels are causing enormous damage and are turning to renewable energy to save money, avoid costly wars, and stabilize our planet’s climate at the same time. But here in the U.S. and in North Carolina, Duke Energy is blocking the changes needed to ensure a future climate that will keep our families and kids safe for generations to come. This is immoral and it is a crime. So I am calling on Governor Stein to stop Duke’s massive fossil fuel expansion and to lead our state towards clean, safe, reliable, affordable, renewable energy.” Keval Kaur Khalsa, retired Duke University professor and longtime yoga instructor “Duke Energy and Governor Stein claim that North Carolina is a “clean energy leader.” In fact, Duke Energy has been running their greenwashing and climate deception campaign for 50 years. This is madness, and I’m here calling on Gov. Stein to stop the madness now. … We are in a climate emergency, and when faced with an emergency, we need action now. Gov. Stein – we need you to stand up to Duke Energy, to stand up for us – to take action now.” Amanda Robertson, business owner and Chair of Chatham County Commission, but speaking as a private citizen “Free sun energy solutions have been available to Duke Energy for decades and they outright refuse to invest in them. They instead produce snazzy commercials and marketing campaigns to gaslight all of us, trying to convince everyone they are pursuing clean, green, energy, while they instead continue to ramp up gas and coal. Our government still does nothing to hold Duke Energy accountable. … I call on Governor Stein to act. To move against the corrupt, dirty agenda that Duke Energy has us all saddled with and use your executive authority as Governor of North Carolina to force Duke Energy to change course today!” Jim Warren, Executive Director of NC WARN “It’s like science fiction: Instead of the actual ‘clean energy transition’ it has touted for years, Duke Energy leads the US in expanding fossil fuels. … We must stop this runaway train before the world’s corporate psychopaths wipe out life on Earth, and our Governor must take the lead.” An additional statement was made by Sara Heilman, Energy Policy Coordinator at NC WARN “We have a unique opportunity here in our state, where Duke Energy is headquartered, to change the course of one the largest and most insidious polluting entities in the world. Changing Duke Energy could mean a major difference in the future that young people are facing. Will our Governor continue to protect this massive corporate polluter, or will he be brave, and stand up for that future?” This article was first published by NC WARN.